Plant a row for the hungry – Raleigh, North Carolina

Logan Trading Company, in partnership with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, is launching a Plant a Row for the Hungry(PAR) campaign to encourage all gardeners to grow a little extra produce to donate to the hungry and homeless. The PAR campaign will be announced at Logan’s on Friday June 12th at noon by Mayor Charles Meeker. The kickoff event will be on Saturday, June 13th from 10am – 5:30pm at Logan Trading Co., 707 Semart Drive in downtown Raleigh. It will include activities for children, talks on growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables, and special give-aways.

PAR is a national campaign begun by the Garden Writers Association in 1995. The first annual Raleigh PAR campaign will run from June 13 to September 26, 2009. Food donations can be brought to Logan Trading Co. every Saturday from 9am-12noon or to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Monday – Friday 8AM-4PM. Donations of seeds, gently used gardening tools, canned and dried foods are also welcome.

It may be hard to imagine, but the face of hunger in the Triangle isn’t just homeless people in our downtowns. It is the face of an elderly neighbor choosing between food and medication. It is the working parent who earns too much to qualify for food stamps so she goes without in order that her children are fed. It is the middle class family dealing with job loss and relying on the local food pantry for donations. Everyone can do something to help alleviate hunger in their community. Donating as little as one pound of fresh produce – a few tomatoes or a couple of squash – can supplement up to four meals for a person in need.